Search - Super Rail Band de Bamako :: Kongo Sigui

For over three decades, this Malian group has set the worldwide standard for Afropop music, with the possible exception of the equally talented Bembeya Jazz. Formed when Mali emerged from colonial rule, this invigorating ensemble, which once included Salif Keita and Mory Kante as members, mixes Afro-Cuban mambo, Congolese rumba, the 21-string kora, Manding music, and Griot praise vocals to create a sound that is both local and global. This CD captures the group--led by guitarist Djelimady Tounkara--in superb and syncopated form. With their twangy, West Africa-tuned guitars, precision percussion, and angelic female vocals, this ensemble shows what happens when Mother Africa's musical offspring come back home, as evidenced by the hip-shaking, grooves of "Mogo Gnayé Kodola," "Balla Moussa Keita," and "Pirates," as wellas the soft, Savannah-breezed "Kory," the title track, and the Memphis-motored "Tunga." These musical visionaries have come a long way from their first home, the Buffet Hotel de la Gare in the capital city of Bamako. Now, everybody gets buzzed from their profound and poetic palm-wine pulsations. --Eugene Holley, Jr.